Bake & Destroy by Natalie Slater

Today I’m headed to London (then Amsterdam, then Basel, then Rhein, then back to Basel, then Zurich, then back to London until heading home – whew!) Because I have so many flights (and trains) in so few days I’m trying to pack extra light! So here’s a roundup of some of the things making that a bit easier for me.

1. Coffee Wherevs

What’s worse, airplane coffee or hotel coffee? Honestly, I don’t know because with few exceptions, they both taste like licking an ashtray. For this trip, I packed a bunch of compostable, single-serve coffee bags from Steeped Coffee. As long as I have access to hot water, I can freshly brew a truly delicious cup of coffee. I’ve also been stashing these in my desk drawer at my coffee machine-less office. (100% not sponsored OR an affiliate link – it’s just good!)

2. Travel-friendly Teeth

Travel-sized toothpastes are pretty wasteful, and with all the lotions and serums I travel with space in my TSA-friendly liquids bag is precious. So this time I packed toothpaste tablets (LUSH Toothy Tabs are a good option). Just bite into one and brush your teeth – it’ll foam up and clean and refresh just like toothpaste, but you won’t have to unpack them to run them through the X-ray machine. There are also options on Amazon packaged in recyclable paper or cardboard packaging so you avoid the tube waste.

3. Face It, I’m Extra

Wow, I did not realize how wild my skincare routine has gotten until I started packing. I double cleanse, so I have little Nalgene leak proof bottles filled with various oils, a couple serums, lotions… it’s a lot. I usually just use travel bottles to bring small amounts of product with me but haven’t found a good solution yet for keeping them labeled – stickers and marker don’t hold up to washing. So I ordered travel sizes of my favorites from Paula’s Choice, which I can also refill when they’re empty. I’m partial to the Resist line, but heads up that not all of Paula’s Choice products are vegan so read the ingredients. (Vegan Beauty Addict has more info here.)

4. I Love Trash

The best thing about international travel, besides you know, going somewhere cool, is having an excuse to just binge on garbage TV for hours and hours. Most flights have TVs built into the seats now, but if you want to download your own movies and TV shows to your iPad or laptop I recommend a Mophie battery case. The one I use also has storage, so I can load it up with all the 90 Day Fiance I can handle.

5. I’m In Space

If all I had to lug around with me on this trip was my clothes and toiletries I wouldn’t have thought twice about stuffing it all into my carry-on. But, I’m also carrying most of the items that will go into building a trade show booth in London – and doing it all in a carry-on. So I bought a set of packing cubes from Eagle Creek, and the most useful piece is the Garment Folder. I managed to fit two pairs of jeans, pajamas, and five shirts into the space that normally would have been taken up by the jeans alone. If you follow the folding instructions, your clothes won’t wrinkle, and you’ll have lots of extra room to carry jackfruit samples from country to country. If that’s your thing, too.

Please note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase I may earn a commission. However, this is not a sponsored post and all opinions expressed here are my own.

My new job with Upton’s Naturals has me traveling all over the country, and even the world this year. I’ll be covering lots of trade shows and veg fests so come see me if you can – or hit me up on Instagram and let me know where I should eat when I’m in your area!

Whether you’re making a gift for a vegan friend or just strapped for cash and looking for something everyone will like these simple cake mixes look cute all dolled up with ribbons under the tree.

Add a tag or sticker with the final mix ins and cooking instructions and give the greatest gift of all – cake! Like a boxed mix, these recipes make enough batter for a 13” x 9” cake. See bake times for different sized cakes below.

Chocolate Cake Mix

“Vinegar cake” was the first vegan recipe I learned when I was in high school. It’s still a classic, and can be dressed up with all kinds of fancy fillings and toppings.

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons salt

Sift ingredients together into a large glass jar, store in a cool, dry place for up to six months.

Yes, it has been a long time since I blogged. I started a new job, have been traveling a lot, and also, no one reads blogs anymore. Anyway, I’m back to tell you that once again, I’m fundraising for Grind for Life.

For those of you who are new here, I’ve dedicated eight birthdays to fundraising for Grind for Life, a cancer non-profit started by skateboarder Mike Rogers, with a mission to help people with cancer. I ask my friends and family, and a lot of generous folks on the internet, to donate instead of buying me a birthday gift. Over the past several years we’re raised more than $16,000 together.

You can help by donating money, or if you’d rather donate a prize to encourage others to donate money you can do that too. Here’s how:

I’m asking all makers, crafters, business owners, artists, etc. to think about what you might be able to offer as a prize. I generally ask for things that can be shipped (U.S. addresses only), but if you offer a local service (baked goods, hair styling, tattoos, etc) I can do a special drawing for donors who live in your area. In addition to being a great person who helps a great cause, you will also be well-promoted across all of my social media channels.

Interested in donating a prize? Click here to fill out this form! (Feel free to contact me if you have questions about donating, but if you’re ready to offer something, please use the form because this is how I will keep track of what gets promoted!)

You know those family recipes that are like, some of this, some of that, whatever else you feel like, and dinner is served! I love those! For a long time my family lived on Bowl of Stuff, and every time I posted a picture of my bowl of the day people asked for the recipe. But there never really is one, because Bowl of Stuff is more of a concept than a recipe. (But then I did eventually write some recipes because I know not everyone is cool with winging it.)

Well, the same is true for Noochy Noodles. There’s a naked version, which is #1 below, and then there are the loads of variations I make depending on what’s handy! Make the basic noodles, and then add whatever you want – #2-5 are suggestions, but I’d love to hear what you end up doing with this!

1. Naked Noochy Noodles

Quick back story: My son Teno used to love buttered noodles from Noodles & Co. when he was little… and I have loved pasta with garlic and olive oil my entire life. So this recipe came out of sort of combining the two, and making them vegan.

Cook one box of pasta as directed on the package. We always make farfalle, but you can choose a different shape – I recommend something with twists or curls so the sauce has something to stick to. Make sure you salt your cooking water – I usually throw a tablespoon of salt in.

Before draining your pasta, scoop out about 1 cup of the cooking water – this has salt in it, plus starch from the pasta. It’s going to help your sauce stick to the pasta. Set is aside and drain the pasta.

Straight up, nothing fancy. OK tofu if you consider that fancy.

In the same pot you cooked your pasta in (unless you have a good reason to dirty a new one) melt a good quality vegan butter (I like Miyoko’s) over medium-low heat, add some olive oil, and a bunch of nutritional yeast. Splash in as much of the reserved pasta water as you need to make a sauce, and return the pasta to the pot, stirring to coat.

OK, I know I lost a couple of you who are looking for measurements – look, it’s super preferential. If I’m cooking a whole box of pasta, I use about 1/4 cup butter, 2 Tbs olive oil, 1/4 cup or more of nutritional yeast. You might use more or less.

4. Turn the heat off and serve. I like to season it with some freshly ground black pepper and Not Parm – but do whatever makes you happy. And keep reading for more ideas.

2. Dragon’s Blood Noochy Noodles

I make this nourishing dish for myself after I donate blood. All the green stuff is full of iron, which you’ll be low on after you donate, plus a shot of B-12 from the nutritional yeast.

Make Naked Noochy Noodles as directed above – when it’s just me, I like to also throw 2-3 garlic cloves into the butter/oil mixture. Teno isn’t a big fan, despite is overwhelmingly Italian name. While the pasta is cooking, steam a cup of chopped broccoli and a couple handfuls of spinach for about 3 minutes – until the broccoli is bright green and the spinach is wilted. When you’re ready to add the pasta to the sauce, throw the veggies in too. I usually top it off with some basil from my herb garden and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

3. Teno’s Garden Noochy Noodles

Just put stuff in there. Who cares? Stop being weird.

Although he passed away before I was born, my mom’s told me enough stories about my great-grandpa Teno’s backyard garden for me to feel like I saw it myself. (His full name was Defendente Petitti, and I think if you whisper it over your pasta while it cooks magical things might happen.)

Sorry recipe sticklers, this is kind of another one where I’m gonna ask you to wing it. The concept here is fresh, fresh, fresh. Taking things from your backyard garden and throwing them into the pot raw so they have texture, color, and lots of flavor. While your pasta is cooking, chop up: a sweet pepper, basil, and flat leaf parsley. When you’re ready to add your pasta to the sauce, throw these ingredients in too. If you want them to get a bit softer, cook everything for 3-5 minutes over medium-low heat. But I like them just warmed through, still crunchy and leafy. Garnish each bowl with halved cherry tomatoes, freshly ground black pepper, and if you like them, some nice salty pitted olives.

4. Roasty Toasty Noochy Noodles

This version came about, again, thanks to my son Teno. His school lunch schedule is cray, sometimes he eats lunch at 11am so by the time I’m home from work he’s starving, but Tony gets home an hour, sometimes two hours after me. So I needed to figure out a way to make Teno a quick dish that could be re-heated and tweaked for us grown ups a couple hours later.

So, for Teno, I make Naked Noochy Noodles, which he eats with absolutely no vegetables (sometimes broccoli, if I nag him) and no additional seasoning. I stick the leftovers in the fridge and turn the oven to 475 degrees F.

Then I start cutting my favorite roasting vegetables – carrots, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, etc. – into pieces that are roughly the same size as each other. Throw them in a bowl, along with whole cloves of garlic, big chunks of red onion, a pinch of dried oregano, a pinch of dried rosemary, a pinch of dried thyme, and toss with 1/4 cup olive oil.

Spread everything out in an even layer on a baking sheet – put down some parchment paper first for an easier clean up – and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then roast for 35-40 minutes, stirring/flipping it all about 20 minutes in.

Once Tony gets home, I grab the pot I cooked the pasta in, drizzle a little olive oil so it’s not sticky, and I stir together the prepared Noochy Noodles with my roasted veggies. The sauce isn’t going to coat the veggies as much as it would have if you’d cooked everything at the same time – but I like the difference in color, texture and flavor. You still get that nice charred flavor on the vegetables, with a buttery, cheesy soft cushion of noodles.

I’m just looking back at this now and laughing thinking about anyone who prints it out to make at home. “OK so first make Teno his, then when Tony gets home…”

5. Fakon Noochy Noodles

Sometimes I use other noodles. I’m wild like that.

One of my favorite dishes is Chloe Coscarelli’s Vegan Pasta Carbonara with Shiitake Bacon, and while it’s not all that complicated to make, sometimes I’m just too lazy. So one way I can guarantee that I’ll have something similar for dinner even on my busiest night is to make the star ingredient – the shiitake bacon – over the weekend, and keep it on hand for a Monday night dinner.

Then, make a batch of Naked Noochy Noodles – while your pasta is cooking, heat a bit of olive oil in a pan and cook 1 chopped white onion and three minced cloves of garlic until soft. Throw that into the pot with your cooked noodles and prepared sauce, and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Top with the bacon, some black pepper and parsley, and make a note to make the real carbonara recipe sometime when you aren’t so lazy.

Because I am a human person who lives on earth, my self confidence goes through highs and lows. In professional settings, people always tell me I’ve accomplished a lot, that I’m a wealth of knowledge about marketing and sales. Then, after the initial high of being acknowledged wears off, I kind of go back to wondering if I actually know anything about anything. And, in the worst cases of this, I become paranoid that people will soon figure out that I don’t know a damn thing in the world.

It’s called Imposter Syndrome, and put simply, it’s a failure to recognize your own accomplishments. In and of itself, Imposter Syndrome isn’t considered a mental disorder, it’s more of a phenomenon. Of course it can be some part of a larger self esteem issue, and if you feel this way more often than not, you might consider seeking professional counseling.

Recently, in the midst of a bout of good ‘ol IS, I asked people on Instagram if they ever experience this feeling, and if so, what they do to counteract it. Again, I’m not here to replace your therapist, and I urge you to read more on the subject because there are a lot of articles with great, in-depth analysis and advice (like this piece from Psychology Today or this one from Fast Company) but for those of you who just need a little boost to get out of a funk, here are five suggestions from my Instagram followers on how to push past Imposter Syndrome:

1. Know That Everyone Feels This Way

“Everyone” might be a tad hyperbolic, but I was overwhelmed with responses when I asked if anyone else experiences this. Hundreds of messages. Take a quick peek at that Fast Company article I mentioned, scan the five types of Imposter Syndrome and see if any of them ring true for you. The chances are high that one of them does, and that’s because this is a very common phenomenon, especially in people who set the bar high for themselves. Knowing that I am not alone in this feeling really helped me to see that my fears are unfounded. If I was the ONLY person on all of Instagram who sometimes feels like she lucked into everything she has and that it could all crumble away in an instant, OK, then maybe there’s something to it. Or maybe I need some serious counseling. But the fact that so many people concurred with that feeling – people who I know personally, and I know how hard they work and how talented they are – it poked a lot of holes in my own fears.

2. Learn to Accept and Believe Positive Feedback

Couldn’t find the original source due to Pinterest fuckery – comment and let me know who it is so I can give credit?

I mean, if only it were that simple, right? Most people I know have a hard time accepting compliments – I’m in that group, too. But as we are social creatures, we benefit from positive feedback from our peers (and bosses). The next time someone tells you that you did a great job on something, or that they’re impressed with how much you know about this or that, internalize it. Maybe write down what they said on your calendar or something. Create a database of positive feedback for yourself, and reflect on it whenever you find yourself in a dark place.

3. You vs. You

Sometimes I’ll have a particularly nagging case of Imposter Syndrome about a particular issue. For instance, I have a BA in magazine journalism, and my peers in my field are mostly MBAs. Accomplishments-wise, we are peers. Outside of throwing around jargon that I think sounds stupid anyway, and making elaborate spreadsheets, there’s nothing they can do that I can’t do. But sometimes, for instance if I’m job-searching, it nags at me. And I start to consider positions that are far below my experience level, or I accept a salary that no one else with my experience would accept. The best way to squash a nagging, negative thought about yourself is to gather evidence. Write it down. Write down the thing you believe about yourself, and under that, draw a line that divides the paper into two columns. On the left, write down any evidence that you have – facts, not feelings – that support that negative thing you believe. In the right column, write down any evidence you have that contradicts the opinion. If you struggle with the exercise, ask a friend or a loved one to help you fill in the columns with facts about you and your accomplishments. The people who suggested this practise to me said that they always find more evidence to dispel negative thoughts about themselves than to support it.

4. You Suck, But Not As Much as Other People Suck

This one made me laugh, but it kept coming up as a coping mechanism people use. It’s a little mean-spirited, so if that’s not for you that’s fair, but basically when you doubt yourself, get a little judgey with the people around you. Listen, every brand I’ve ever worked for does this. We might be a $100,000/year widget brand that constantly gets bad reviews on Amazon, but we’re still better than that multi-billion dollar widget brand because they’re still using virgin plastic and ours is post-consumer recycled. So fuck them! We rule! Comparing yourself to others is usually not great advice to give anyone with low self esteem, but in this context it’s an exercise in leveling the playing field. Tread lightly, but I can see where this helps in a pinch.

5. Fail On, You Crazy Failure

Detail from Motivational Speakers by Betty Turbo

The root of Imposter Syndrome? The fear of failure. The fear of trying something and not succeeding. But you’ve read those fucking clickbait articles about the world’s richest people who failed a million times. (Here’s one.) We’ve all read the stories about Steve Jobs failing. Oprah failing. Elon Musk failing. All of your heros have tried and failed and picked themselves up, dusted off, and tried again – and succeeded. And you do it too, all the time. But it’s easy to focus on your failures when you aren’t seeing yourself through the hero lense we see others through. Failing is normal. Failing is fine. Failing is nothing to be scared of. When you let go of your fear of failure (and/or perfectionism, if like me, that’s your problem) it’s easier to accept your successes, and maybe even to celebrate them.

OK, But How?

I received some suggestions on ways to put these suggestions into everyday practise:

Therapy/counseling – A lot of people with particularly crippling cases of Imposter Syndrome told me they sought professional counseling. Obviously this isn’t the right fit for everyone, but if it’s something you have the means to try, why not?

Daily affirmations – Make a practice of repeating positive thoughts to yourself, either silently in your head, or say them right out loud. There are tons of apps and free resources online to guide you, there’s even a Twitter account.

List making – This is my go-to. Most recently, I pulled myself out of a case of IS by quantifying my career accomplishments – “grew this brand’s social media following by X% in 12 months, increased conversions from social media on this webstore by X% in 6 months.” If you don’t love data, just straight up make a list of everything good you’ve done in the past 6 months, or everything you’re proud of, or the ways you’ve made things run smoother at work or home. It’s hard to look at a list of things you’ve done well and not feel good about yourself.

Hot mess express, comin’ atchu

Meditation – Similar to affirmations, in some ways. Taking the time to quiet and focus your mind. Again, there are lots of free resources for this online, and in the app store, with lots of guided meditation videos available on YouTube.

Say something – my last piece of advice is this – if you find yourself feeling this way more often than you can cope with, tell someone. Or even if it’s just something you feel once in a while – bring it up to your best friend, to a trusted loved one, or do what I did and just confess it on a social media platform where you feel safe. Chances are, you’ll find out that what you feels is normal, and often times whomever you’re speaking with will remind you of things you’re good at that you hadn’t even thought of.

I’d love to learn more about this – so if it’s something you deal with, or have managed to overcome, please tell me about it in the comments! I’m open to book suggestions, blog posts, etc!

A couple weeks back, Tony and I spent a long weekend in Atlanta eating all the things and seeing my brother and his new baby. While we were there, we stopped in Tinkertown Pies and had the most amazing Cherry Rosemary Pie. The. Most. Amazing.

Anyway, Kyle, the master pie baker, gave me his recipe and I recreated it at home! My first try was a little liquidy, I think because I was using cherries with too high of a sugar content (Skylar Rae®). So I tried again today with cherries from Northwest Cherry Growers, which are much firmer and have a bit less sugar so they hold up better when you bake them.

Just to be safe, though, I also switched up the filling recipe. So, fill your favorite pie crust with the recipe below, and top it with the Rosemary Streusel topping from my previous post. Bake it at 350 F for about an hour, then let it cool completely (maybe even overnight) before you dig in.

I love Jackie Sobon’s inspiring vegan recipes and gorgeous food photography, but mostly I like her habit of liking the stupid, often mean things I say on Twitter. No, that’s not fair, she’s a prolific food blogger over at Vegan Yack Attack, and a two-time cookbook author, with the release of her new book Vegan Yack Attack On the Go! just last week. So yeah, I like the food stuff about her the most, but the part where she encourages me to be rude on Twitter second.

This new book is a departure from her previous, Vegan Bowl Attack!, in its focus on make-ahead, and portable (think packed lunch or camping trip) recipes featuring short ingredient lists and quick prep times. The recipes are simple enough for someone new to cooking, but interesting enough that old school vegans will find plenty of inspiration, too.

I chose this Asparagus Omelet in a Bag recipe to share, because quick, healthy breakfast options tend to go the way of smoothies or overnight oats for vegans, and tofu scrambles get tiresome. You can actually throw the ingredients in a Mason jar and store it until you’re ready to cook – you can even put it in your camping cooler and be the fanciest vegan at the campground when you whip out some omelets for breakfast.

Please note that some links in this post are affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase I could earn a commission. However, this is not a sponsored post and the opinions expressed here are my own. Photo and recipe by Jackie Sobon. Shared with permission from Fair Winds Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group.

I travel from Chicago to Atlanta 1-2 times a year for work, and I always spend my time between meetings and shows stuffing myself with vegan biscuits and spending as much time with my friends and family there as I can. My little brother and his wife (and their new baby!) live about an hour outside of the city, and my friend Leigh, who puts on Atlanta Veg Fest, is also a local who always steers me to the best things to eat.

With my brother at Ponce City Market

Tony and I booked a long weekend in the city to visit the baby and…eat as many biscuits as we could. (Chicagoans – if you can’t make it to Atlanta, Ste Martaen offers what I consider to be the only truly legit vegan biscuit in the Midwest.) One our first full day of this last trip, we were bumming around Little 5 Points (eating biscuits at Sevananda Co-Op) when Kyle from Tinkertown Pies hit me up on Instagram to invite me over to his vegan pie shop in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood.

We drove over, and wandered around a bit trying to find it before realizing, and being totally charmed by the fact, that Tinkertown is actually inside a bike shop called The Spindle. (In hindsight, the chalkboard outside that read, “secret pie shop inside” should have been a clue.” We ordered slices of peach basil and cherry rosemary and got chatting with pie shop owner Kyle, about everything from the city’s new “renegade scooter” program and cemetery-grown rosemary. The cherry rosemary pie was absolutely unreal, and Kyle was sweet enough to send me the recipe so I could make it at home!

So, in addition to sharing this dreamy recipe with you, I’m also going to run you through our quick trip. The pie filling is pretty simple and straightforward, the magic is all in the streusel, and you’ll find the recipe for that below.

Tinkertown Cherry Pie Filling

Mine wasn’t as magical, but it was still pretty magical.

For the filling:

About 2 lbs cherries, pitted

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

4-5 Tbs tapioca starch

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbs amaretto or kirsch*

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

*If you’re anti-booze in your baked goods, or simply don’t have any on-hand, you can substitute with cherry juice.

Wash, stem and pit the cherries. Split about a cup of them into halves.Place the cherries in a bowl.

Mix the sugars, tapioca and salt in a separate bowl.

Add the liqueur and extracts to the cherries, and mix.

Add the dry ingredients to the cherries and mix to incorporate.

Pour pie filling into a prepared pie crust – you can make your own, or use a store-bought crust.

Crumble streusel atop the pie. (Tip: I gently patted the streusel into the cherries so it formed a nice crust as it baked.)

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour, or until delicious cherry juices are bubbling up.

Let stand to cool at least two hours before slicing. Better yet, chill it in the fridge after.

Three Days in Atlanta

Thursday:

Breakfast: We made it just in time for the last of the breakfast hot bar at Sevananda Co-Op, but fresh biscuits had just come out of the oven so it was far from being left-overs.

We crossed the street and Tony checked out Stratosphere Skateboards. Tony spent a little while talking to the shop owner about old guy skateboard stuff and then we went next door to Junkman’s Daughter. (Chicagoans: imagine if The Alley and Hollywood Mirror had a baby.) In that same plaza, we hit up Aurora Coffee for some nitro cold brew (it was called Shallow Grave, so obviously I had to) and then we bummed around the neighborhood, which is made up of lots of resale shops, tattoo shops, record stores and head shops. It reminds me a bit of when Clark and Belmont (Chicago) was still grungy and punk.

At the Center for Puppetry Arts where I almost exploded with joy.

After we’d popped into nearly every store in the area and gotten sufficiently sweaty, we drove over to Old Fourth Ward and, as I’ve already mentioned, enjoyed a couple slices of pie while hanging out with Kyle from Tinkertown Pies.

It was time to check into our hotel at that point, so we headed over there and cleaned up a bit before driving out to Cumming (heh) to visit my brother and his family.

One the way back into the city we stopped in Sandy Springs (it reminds me of Naperville – I keep wanting to translate Atlanta for Chicagoans LOL) and had dinner at Cafe Sunflower. On a previous visit I had dinner here with Leigh, but she navigated the manu and ordered all the best stuff. This time I had the Moo Shu Vegetables which was bafflingly served wrapped in two huge flour tortillas like a burrito. Still, the vegetables and plum sauce were tasty and I was starving so I wolfed it down.

I’d saved an anise cake from Tinkertown Pies, so I laid in bed eating that before conking out for the night. Atlanta is so hot and you spend a lot of time in the car there – it’s kind of exhausting.

Friday:

We drove out to Dulce Vegan, which is a cute little bakery and cafe in what looked like a popular strip of restaurants and bars. We both got breakfast sandwiches with tofu “egg” – but I was smart, and got mine on a biscuit, whereas Tony was a weirdo and ordered an English muffin. Mine had tempeh bacon and a smoky chipotle aioli and it was stupid good. We also shared a ginger-peach scone that was buttery and delicious. I really wanted to take some pastries back to the hotel with us, but we were headed to a few more places and I didn’t want them to melt so I sadly went without – next time!

Breakfast sandwich from Dulce Vegan

We caught the Jim Henson exhibit at the Center for Puppetry Arts and as expected, it made us both almost cry like 30 different times. I’d also just been reading a book called Street Gang, about the fascinating story of how Sesame Street came to be, so it was extra emotional for me to see all the Muppets up close and to read about cult classics like the The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth and to see those amazing creations in person.

The center is in Midtown, which also happens to be home to Cinnaholic, a somewhat-secretly all-vegan cinnamon roll shop so we decided to eat dessert for lunch.

A bunch of people suggested we check out East Atlanta Village, so we headed that way next. Either it’s cooler at night, or you have to want to hang out at a bar to enjoy it because I’m sad to say we walked around what appeared to be the whole area in just a few minutes and didn’t find a lot to do. They were also filming a movie on the street, which happens a lot in Atlanta, so it’s possible that they were blocking off some places we would have liked. Either way, there were tons of colorful murals and it was a nice day so we enjoyed the walk.

I was hot and exhausted, so we went back to the room and watched a couple hours worth of Ancient Aliens before we went over to Ponce City Market. I’d been there previously with my brother, who is obsessed with the decidedly not-vegan burrito at Minero. (I got the cauliflower tacos sans cheese, and the chips and guac and they’re both really good.) Ponce City Market is kind of a fancy mall with a big food hall with some fun vegan options – like scoops of cookie dough, or popsicles from King of Pops (which is EVERYWHERE in the city). We saw so many hilarious, shameless Instagram influencer photos being taken in and around this place, it was kind of like being in Brooklyn again.

Since this was our anniversary dinner, we decided to go to Herban Fix. Plus, after a day of biscuits and cinnamon rolls I was craving vegetables and this place is a very veggie-forward vegan restaurant. Again, Leigh took me here the first time so I remembered the pom pom mushroom steak and a few other dishes that were really, really good.

After that we saw Won’t You Be My Neighbor, the Mr. Roger’s movie, and as expected – cried a bunch more. It was a very emotional day.

Saturday:

Pom pom steak from Herban Fix

I wanted to spend as much time as I could with my brother on my last full day in the city, so we went back to Sevenanda for the breakfast hot bar (this time we got there early, so they had a few more dishes available) and we loaded up on sandwiches and sides to bring out to Cumming with us.

We spent most of the day at my brother’s, holding a sleeping baby and trying to make his hateful little dog Mookie like us (he eventually let Tony pet him, but he never warmed up to me). We busted out the food and I gleefully watched my brother dig into vegan chicken salad and spicy collard greens. He said if he could eat like that every day he’d be a vegetarian. I resisted the urge to tell him he could eat like that every day, but Aaron, if you’re reading this – you could!

I’d hoped to meet up with Leigh and her family before heading home early in the morning on Sunday, but we did the math and figured out we had to get up around 4am the next morning so we decided to grab dinner near the hotel and go to bed early.

For dinner we went over to Yeah! Burger. Not only do they offer three vegan burger patties (Beyond Burger, Impossible Foods and a housemade quinoa burger) and two vegan bun options, but they also offer Beyond Sausages. Lots of vegan condiments are available – like Follow Your Heart cheese slices, and Just Mayo. The most exciting part for me? Vegan ice cream sandwiches! Sadly, I was so stuffed from my burger and fries I decided not to get one – but next time I’m eating that first.

What I Missed:

I’d hoped to head back to Revolution Doughnuts, a place I’d previously visited with Leigh, but never made it. I also wanted Tony to try Soul Veg Atlanta, because the one in Chicago has gotten less-great over the years but theirs is still awesome. Green Sprout also looked good, but we only had so much room in our stomachs. Oh, and if you find yourself hungry in the airport, Grindhouse Killer Burgers has a housemade veggie burger and Impossible Burgers.

Anyway, it was a fun, quick trip and I hope to be back in a couple months for Veg Fest!

This is my first sponsored post in more than 10 years of writing this blog. I’ve received hundreds of offers to shill everything from essential oils to matching pajamas for your whole family but I’ve always turned them down because it took me a long time to earn your trust, so when I recommend a product or service, it has to be something I really believe in. Also, I don’t like being told what to do, and when brands pay you to blog about them, they usually want to tell you what to say and how to say it.

So what made me cave after this long? Curiosity, pure and simple. I received a pitch from HealthLabs.com about their Vegan Wellness Panel Test – a lab test that looks for 11 common deficiencies in vegans:

B-12

Calcium

Complete Blood Count (CBC)

D-25 Hydroxy (Vitamin D-3)

Ferritin

Folic Acid

Homocysteine

Iron

Zinc

My first reaction was defensive, as we vegans are constantly under scrutiny about where we get our protein, blah blah. But, then I was curious – I’m 38 years old, I haven’t eaten meat since 1998, I’ve been vegan a long time, and I don’t take any vitamins – I’d love to find out if I am deficient in any of these nutrients so I can make adjustments to my diet.

Now, before you start chasing me down the street with pitchforks, my dear fellow vegans, I am not saying our diet is inherently deficient. I’m just curious is my own vegan diet is lacking – and if not, you bet your butt I’m rubbing that in EVERYONE’S faces.

Speaking of deficiencies, it should be noted that the traditional Western diet (omnivorous – consisting of meat, dairy, eggs, fruits, vegetables… you know, everything) is commonly deficient. According to Web MD, most Americans do not get enough calcium, potassium, Vitamins A, C, E or fiber, among others. So while I’m tracking my protein intake on MyFtnessPal so I can sass any omni who asks me about it, I often wonder if they know where they’re getting their fiber?

I have agreed to take the Vegan Wellness Panel Test HealthLabs.com offers, and to share my results with you guys. If you’re curious about your own nutrient levels (or any number of other things they can test for – celiac, heavy metals and toxins, etc) you can get 25% off your test when you mention code bakeanddestroy25 (to use this discount you do need to call and order your test – 1-800-579-3914).

I found a participating lab near me, and I can just walk in with my paperwork from HealthLabs.com, no insurance necessary. A few days after I do, I’ll receive my test results via their secure portal and I’ll know if I need to up my nutritional yeast and kale or if I can tell everyone who’s ever acted like I eat grass to shove it.